Hyundai says Kona EV available in Australia in November, then changes its mind

Hyundai Australia has generated some excitement for electric vehicle consumers after announcing on its Twitter account late Tuesday that the Kona EV would be released in Australia in November, only to change its mind and delete the tweet when approached by The Driven on Wednesday.

The Kona EV is among the most anticipated of the new wave of EV models expected to arrive in Australian shores over the next six to 12 months, joining the imminent release of Hyundai’s Ioniq range – plug in, plug in hybrid and full electric model.

Our interest was piqued by the following Twitter exchange between a potential EV customer and the Australian office on Tuesday afternoon.

“It appears #KonaEV is missing from your Australia line-up, @HyundaiAus. Some of us who’ve already registered for the IONIQ are also keen to test/buy the Kona #EV whenever it gets here,” tweeted Paris Lord.

Hyundai Australia replied, “Hi @Pairslord, expect to see the our #KonaEV in Aus by mid-November. Get excited!”

When he sought clarification from Hyundai’s media team, it seemed it was news to them, and the tweet was quickly pulled down, with the indication now that it will not be available until early next year.

The compact all-electric SUV will be available in two versions, a high-range model with 64kWh battery with a range of almost 470km, and a short-range model with a 39.2kWh battery that has a range of 300km, according to the carmaker.

There has been talk, however, that a Kona model has been doing the rounds in Australia, mostly though to off-road testing.

The Hyundai Ioniq EV, meanwhile, will be available for sale in Australian from late next month. Hyundai has not officially released the exact date for the launch of the Ioniq, which has been reliant on overseas production dates.

Hyundai has been reluctant to confirm a price for the Ioniq, according to leaked information we reported on earlier this month it will be between $44,000-45,000, before on road costs.

The plug-in hybrid will come in somewhere between $40,000-41,000, and the Hybrid will be $32,000-33,000.

This article has been updated to reflect the fact that Hyundai responded on Tuesday evening to an original tweet from Monday evening.